Dumpster Dive #1: Eat the Rich

Can you smell the sweet scent of bin juice? You’ve stumbled upon Dumpster Dive, where we scrape the bottom of the barrel for decks to take to your next Commoner gig! Join us as we sift through the dregs for decklists that are kick-ass, giga-brain, or sometimes just downright deranged. Despite the limited card pool, we’ve only scratched the surface of what the world of budget beatdowns has to offer… If you’re willing to get your hands dirty!

You know what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s… trash. But sometimes that trash can win a Gold Foil. So here we are, finally talking about a largely unexplored but utterly fire format, where you have access to pretty much any hero, class, or talent in the game, where the fresh faces can throw down with the mega sweats on even footing, and where a deck cost less to make than a single booster pack you buy to cheer yourself up after going 0-4 at Armory.

Each month we’ll feature a spicy new Commoner decklist, breaking down the key ingredients that make it a chef’s kiss. But Dumpster Dive is about more than just me rambling incessantly about some cracked concoction I cooked up on my lunch break - no, Dumpster Dive is FOR THE PEOPLE! I’m opening the floor to you, the community, to show me the garbage you’re working with. In the form linked below you can submit your own Commoner decklist. Competitive, casual, and comedic decks are all welcome!

How this series managed to get greenlit is beyond me, it’s almost as if Legend Story Studios pays attention to what players want. Anyway, it's too late to turn back now, so let’s get scrounging…

Those who know me are painfully aware of how deep I’ve delved into Commoner. It’s gone too far. I can’t stop building decklists. Send help. You may think the best deck to cover for the debut of Dumpster Dive would be the competitively viable Ira, Crimson Haze deck that I used to win the Gold Foil event at Calling: Queenstown. I genuinely believe it’s one of the best decks in the format, perfectly positioned to grind out Guardians dressed in Brevant cosplay, slick enough to outpace aggro hooligans like Fai and Dash, and even flexible enough to dome Iyslander.

Nah.

Today we’re eating shredded cheese straight out of the bag at 3AM. We’re taking a shower fully clothed. We’re offering a tribute to the altar of the OG Goth Mommy. That’s right. I’m talking about Levia.

In a world of chaff, all you can do is eat the rich. Levia is an incredibly fun way to begin your journey into Commoner, and is actually a deceptively powerful dark horse in the format. If you’re not keen on spending a fortune on cards, why not spend it on blood debt? With staggering support from Heavy Hitters, Levia’s spike turns can often close a game out of nowhere long before Blasmophet texts you to ask why you haven’t called back.

Riches to Rags

Aside from Guardian, most classes in Commoner are sorely lacking in the wardrobe department. While you do have more defensive options in the form of Raw Meat and the Darkness equipment from Dusk till Dawn, Levia finds the most value from going all in on the spike turns. There’s a lot of drawing and discarding in this deck, so Bone Vizier is your best friend (but Ebon Fold or Shroud of Darkness are both acceptable alternatives).

Ravenous Meataxe is the non-vegan heart and soul of the deck, quickly filling our graveyard while also offering a sweet 2 for 5 deal. Alongside that we’re packing Hooves of the Shadowbeast, Goliath Gauntlet, and Heartened Cross Strap (or Barkbone Strapping for the more feral among us). Typically all of these equipment are used in a single turn to attack three times (sometimes even four), consistently dealing upwards of 19-25 damage.

Bargain Bin

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Give a man a pile of 2-cost 6-powers and he will immediately go to Twitter to complain about the fact they don’t come in blue. There’s a luscious amount of 2-cost Brute attacks in the common card pool to get you more bang for your buck, such as staples like Wild Ride and Bare Fangs, to niche finishers like Predatory Assault and Pack Hunt. These are your bread and butter, pairing well with your weapon, equipment, yellows, and appetite for destruction.

Crippling Debt

What does Levia have that the other Brutes don’t? Looks, charms, a credit card perhaps? Some of Shadow’s most powerful tools are in the common slot, offering juicy 1-cost attacks, more go again, and a higher damage ceiling. Feel free to max out your blood debt credit card, as Commoner games don’t typically last long enough for the debt collectors to show up at your house to break your kneecaps.

Go again… In this Economy?!

Why am I pushing Levia instead of something tried and true like Pummel Bravo or Hatchets Kassai (yeah Blade Runner’s legal in this format - more on this later)? I ask myself the same question every day. It keeps me up at night. The actual reason is simply because pretty much all of the Brute goodness in Heavy Hitters landed in the common slot. Previously in Commoner Levia would skulk in the shadows since Hooves were really the only reliable way to push out a spike turn. But with the aid of Agility, we can reliably send an attack into a Dread Screamer into an axe swing multiple times per game.

Have you got what it takes to make Cadaverous Contraband Uzuri a threat worth getting a restraining order against? Have you been taking home the bacon with Decimator Great Axe Dorinthea? Does your Brandish Arakni deck slap harder than Will Smith in a bad mood? Submit your deck to the form below and you could become the next Landfill Legend!

I’m going to go wash my hands now… catch you in next month’s Dumpster Dive!